Jersey Journal file photoAn Old Bridge man has been indicted on charges he murdered a man in this Bergen Avenue, Jersey City, building in May. Patrick Smith is accused of stabbing Robert E. Murphy to death during a robbery.

An Old Bridge felon who was already in the Hudson County jail on unrelated charges has been indicted in the murder of a Jersey City man.

Patrick Smith, 47, is scheduled to have his first court appearance on the charge Feb. 7, officials said today.

Smith, formerly of Jersey City, is accused of murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons offenses in the May 22 killing of 68-year-old Robert E. Murphy of Bergen Avenue, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Murphy was found dead in a pool of blood on his bedroom floor by his son at about 3 a.m., officials said, adding that he had several stab wounds to his neck and upper torso. The victim had no money on him and homicide detectives believe the murder occurred during a robbery.

Patrick Smith of Old Bridge, formerly of Jersey City, is accused of killing Robert E. Murphy in May.

Assistant Hudson County Prosecutor John Wojtol said Smith was charged in the murder as a result of the ongoing police investigation and witness statements.

Smith already has a long criminal record and at the time he was charged in the homicide, he was already in jail after having been charged with robbery and a drug offense within days of Murphy's murder, DeFazio said.

Smith was in prison from July 22, 1983, to Feb. 1, 2000, for sexual assault, robbery, theft, escape and resisting arrest, state corrections records say.

Smith's bail on the murder charge has been set at $1 million cash only, Wojtol said.

The defendant is scheduled to be in court for a status conference at 9 a.m. Feb. 7 before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Fred Theemling in the Hudson County Administration Building on Newark Avenue in Jersey City.